Not to mention by the time wait in line for the tech to change the oil you’ve probably spent as much or more time than you would have doing it yourself.
Its far faster to change my own oil.
Oh, and its cheaper.
Only reason I took it to a place, was…
Replacing exhaust, couldn’t do that myself.
Wanted to make sure I got EVERYTHING out of my coolant system after a LIM leak… I wanted to have a place do it the way its supposed to be done, not my halfassed way.
and uhm… Oh, tranny filter. I didn’t want to put my car up on 4 jack stands to make it level in air, with the motor running in gear… and being under the car to check the trans fluid level.
btw, those talking about changing oil at a place.
Sooo when I do it, it’s about 14 bucks for a 5QT jug at wallyworld, plus then i go to advanced or something (since wally only carries shitty Fram filters) to pick up an ACdelco PF42 (yay oversized)… so it comes out to about 20 bucks total.
But yet some oil change places are $15-20?
Do they use shit oil/filters or something? I know they buy in bulk… but I wasn’t sure if that was the only reason it’s cheaper for a place like valvoline or delta or wallyworld to do it.
^THATS FUNNY, I JUST BOUGHT A NEW SET OF RAMPS AND DID JUST THAT (N BODY) A FEW WEEKS AGO ON THE WIFES CAR.
If I’m bored and need it done, I’ll change my oil or tranny fluid or do misc. maintenance things like brakes or rotors. I’m okay with that.
However, working 60+ hours a week and having a few VERY good technicians at my disposal and I can get parts for cost…I’ll generally have them do my oil changes and tire rotations.
I also had them do more PITA stuff that I was unfamiliar with. I could’ve done them, but its cold and I don’t like having busted up hands. Some examples are: Wheel bearings on my truck. Ball joints on my srt4, as well as LCA bushings.
I generally have them do my oil changes now though, because I get a full synthetic oil change done for $30. Granted I could buy the oil myself and get a filter all for under $20 and do it myself…I’ll just buy them a 6 pack and get it done.
i just can not grasp when you can do something yourself for the same price as you can have someone else do it, why you would do it yourself.
my rear brakes and ball joints need to be done. i’ll do that myself because a shop is going to rape me on the price. or if you want to show me how manly you are, you can do it for me. :mamoru:
For the oil change:
- I know it’s done right. (not some lazy tech like a member on here who admitted he doesn’t do the filter if a customer makes him mad).
- I know quality oil and filter were used.
- While I’m under the car I look around and make sure everything else looks ok.
- Now that I don’t drive shitboxes and don’t do much modding it’s about the only wrench turning I get to do on a regular basis.
took the words from my mouth
a 15-20 dollar oil change is shit. They will use recycled oil and a shitty oil filter(if they actually replace it at all). For the same cost, you can put Mobil 1 and a quality filter.
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No press.
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I dislike freezing my ass off in the winter, so it’s a coin flip whether I will do something if my car absolutely needs it before spring.
It’s hard to say really.
-Warranty
-Lazy
-I half ass things
-Watching friends ruin their cars when they try to DIY
i.e:
-Hose clamps in compressor housings
-Home made turbo setups blowing motors
Getting a good deal from a good mechanic is a good reason not to do it yourself…
I just got; 2 ball joints, 2 link pins, 1 wheel bearing, 1 coolant flush, 1 outer tie rod and an alignment for $450, that’s parts and labor.
I’ve heard of people paying $300 for 1 wheel bearing done at a ford dealership.
When I lived in NY I did everything myself.
At my parents I had access to our lift, every and any tool needed, plenty of space and time.
Now it pretty much boils down to lack of time, lack of space, increase in income and pretty much a lack of dedication.
FWIW - if I can do it feasibly on my own, I’ll do it. I consider it a challenge to get it done - maintenance to wiring remotes/replacing stereos to body panels to exhausts… I’ve even just finished a convertible top.
I consider wrenching a nice break from my real job… though any “oopsies” can make my real job annoying if not painful (think alcohol on a cut).
The only things I outsource are those that other do - alignment, tire mounting, etc. I also did that for my headers on my Monaro - though you have to drop the steering rack for that. I did swap out the front sway, which required a front subframe drop, though.
+1 to people complaining they dont have time, when they are on here all the time. Plus this shit is easy, if you have common sense its golden. It shouldnt take longer then 15 minutes to do an oil change.
I’ll bet they are being payed pretty well while on here.
my husband had a friend with a hydrolic lift in his garage.
We spent a lot of time there working on my POS car. So, I’m sure that if we had the space he would. And I probably would do my oil changes and brakes.
/ashamed.
I have a Friend in West Falls with a lift. It made my engine replacement 1000x easier.
One and only bump for a few more responses before I post my follow-up poll…
WAT?
1.) Most of day crew gets paid to be on NYspeed. If you want to compare apples to apples, I’d have to be able to change my oil in my office.
2.) I get the 9.99 oil change and actually bring my own oil. Which means after the filter, I get the oil change for about 6 bucks. Laying on the cold ground and getting dirty isn’t worth $6 to me.
3.) For some of us with warranties, particularly with modded cars, it’s good to have documentation of required maintenance. If you blow a motor and the manufacturer claims you ran it out of oil, saving $10 on a DIY oil change may not help when they want you to pay thousands for a motor.
As for everything else, I bought with a warranty for a reason. I’ll drop it off, give me my loaner and call me when it’s done.
as long as you keep the receipt for purchasing the oil, they have to accept that as proving you got your oil changed.
You are afraid to lay on the cold ground and get dirty. You will be on the ground for at most 20 minutes. Instead, you will pay money, and sit in a waiting room for that same amount of time. That makes you a pussy.